Piano-case.



No. 890,443. PATENTED JUNBQ, 1908.

L. W. NORGROSS. I

PIANO CASE.

APPLICATION FILED 81:21. 12. 1906.

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ITO/890,443. PATENTED JUNE 9, 190a.

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PIA'NO G-ASE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1906.

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LeVz'T lwammss WITNESSES: INVENTOR A TTORNE Y5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEVI WATSON NOROROSS, OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS.

PIANO-CASE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEVI VVATSON Nonouoss, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Fort Worth, in the county of Tarrant and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Piano-Case, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pianos, and has for its principal objects to provide a piano case construction in which the panel immediately above the key board is concaved, so that it may receive the fall board and allow the music rest carried by the upper panel to be adjusted to proper position, and, a further object is to improve the appearance of the piano casing and depart from the box-like construction so common in upright pianos.

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a piano casing constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The interior construction of the piano, including the sound board, string frame, strings and action form no part of the present invention, and have, therefore, not been illustrated in detail.

The piano casing includes a-back panel 10, the lower end of which is hinged as at 1.1 and which may be opened out in order to permit greater freedom of escape of the sound waves. At the top of the piano is a hinged lid 12 which may be moved to open position and locked by one or more catches 15 of the usual construction.

The front of the piano above the key board is divided into two main panels 16 and 17, of which the panel 17 is hinged to a cross bar 18 and may be moved to the open posi tion shown in order that the music rest 19 may be available.

The lower panel 16, that is to say, the panel immediately above the key board, is concaved, presenting a recess 20 which may take up only a portion of the vertical height of the panel, as shown, or may occupy the entire height of the panel. This concaved effect materially relieves the box-like structure of this general class of pianos, and at the same time the recess affords a space into which the fall board 22 may be received, the fall board thus moving backward to such an extent that when the upper panel 17 is lowered, its music Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 12, 1906.

i may be different from the other.

Patented June 9, 1908.

Serial No. 334,320.

rest will be in proper position for the support of the music and no portion of the upper panel will project over the key board proper and prevent or interfere with the manipulation of the keys.

In nearly all constructions of upright pianos, the panel immediately above the key board is flat or straight, so that when the fall board is moved to open position it occupies so much space that it would be impossible to lower the upper panel and utilize the same as a music rest. By making this lower panel concaved, however, the appearance of the casing is materially improved and at the same time a housing is afforded into which the fall board may move, and thus afford room for adjustment of the hinged upper panel into position to be used as a music rest.

In all upright pianos the front panel below the key board is subjected to the most wear, and soon becomes disfigured, while the remaining portion of the casing will present a new and fresh appearance for a much longer period of time. In the present instance this lower panel 25 is made reversible, that is to say, both of its faces are finished, and the finish may be the same on both sides, or one This panel is preferably provided at its lower edge with short pins 26 arranged to enter corresponding recesses in the lower cross sill 28, and the upper edge of the panel is arranged to be engaged by a spring catch 29 immediately under the key board frame. The u per portion of the panel is provided with knobs 30, one on each side, in order to facilitate the removal and reversing of the panel.

In some cases wherethe instrument is used by a child or other person who cannot conveniently reach the pedals, one side of the panel is provided with an auxiliary foot rest 31 and auxiliary pedal members 32. These foot rest and pedal members may be detachably secured to the face of the panel, but to provide for a greater security and prevent the rattling which might occur from loose fastenings, it is preferred to form a rigid structure by employing a pair of brackets 33 having vertically elongated base members 34 which are glued to the face of the panel and the connection further strengthened by means of securing screws or the like. These brackets are provided with vertically disposed openings for the reception of the stems stems have threaded upper and lower ends for the reception of disks 36, the upper disks being Within convenient reach of a child, while the lower disks are arranged to rest on the forte and pianissimo pedals. The foot rest 31 is formed of a bar which rests on both brackets 33 when in use, said bar being carried by a pair of links 37 which are connected to the base members 34, so that the foot rest may be thrown up out of the Way when not in use.

The reversible panel may be readily removed from osition and either the strictly ornamental ace exposed or the auxiliary foot rest and pedal members adjusted to position for use. The device is of especial value for use by music teachers and in other places where the instrument is occasionally played by young beginners.

In the ordinary arrangement of upright pianos the pedal levers, the pedals proper and the lifter rods are provided with various connections which in time wear loose, so that there is no proper adjustment with relation to the parts of the action. Another difficulty commonly experienced is that the relatively large openings in the front sill of the piano permit the entrance of mice, dust and damp air. In order to overcome this and other objections, each of the pedal levers 40 is formed integral with the pedal bar proper 41, the latter being arranged at a right angle to the length of the lever and being comparatively narrow, so that only a small slot will be necessary for its passage, and this slot will generally be so small as to prevent the entrance of mice, while at the same time the area of the opening is reduced in order to lessen the injury from the entrance of dust and damp air.

The pedal levers are provided at their innor ends with pins 44 which are connected to the lower ends 01' the lifter rods 45. To the projecting end of the pedal is secured a foot piece 46 which preferably is formed of a superior metal or one which will retain a polished appearance for a considerable length of time. a

I claim 1. An upright piano casing including a fall board arranged to fold upward to open position, an upper panel arranged to fold downward over the fall board to form a music rest, and an intermediate panel concavedv to receive the upper portion of the fall board when in open position.

2. An upright piano casing including an. upper panel, a fall board arranged to fold upward to open position, and an intermediate panel concaved to receive the upper portion of the fall board, said intermediate panel being disposed in a vertical plane to the rear of the vertical plane of the upper panel.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto allixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEVI WATSON NOROIROSS.

Witnesses U. C. SIBLEY, J. M. YoUNeBLooD. 

